I’m just saying

This is my first restaurant review. I’d like to say there are more to follow, but given my history of blogging, that’s likely not the case.

Julie and I went out for dinner last night to celebrate her birthday. We started off the evening with a stop at Kitchen Window. After looking at some awesome pellet smokers and infrared grills, we headed off for dinner as I just couldn’t see myself dropping 9,000 for a grill.

We headed to Saffron for dinner. I think this was the best meal I’ve ever had. I’m no culinary slouch so my critique should have some legitimacy to it. I’m not a “picture person”, so you’ll just have to take my word on the entrees.

For an appetizer, we had Baba Ghanoush. Aside from being just damn fun to say, it was delicious. The fresh herbs really made it. For our Salad course, we shared their asparagus salad. This was absolutely incredible. Poached asparagus was served with feta, soft poached egg, truffle oil, tomato garlic sauce, garlic infused oil and a fresh made crouton. The flavor and texture contrasts left us both speechless. For main course, I had the lamb shoulder. It was marinated overnight, seared, and then braised for many hours. It was served over harissa and chickpeas. It was amazing how the herbs made the lamb the star. My wife had the beef strip loin. As much as I loved my meal, hers was absolutely amazing. The steak was prepared to perfection. I’ve been to great steak places and know a perfectly prepared steak is not rare, but what really pushed this dish to another level was its paring with smoked potatoes, mushrooms sautéed in truffle oil and grilled asparagus. I know what you’re thinking. Wow, Kevin never heard of stake with potatoes, mushrooms and asparagus, but trust me this was different and amazing. For desert, my wife ordered their signature Crème Brule Tart. Their twist on crème Brule was that it contained vanilla poached apricots, a pomegranate reduction and a sort of thyme whipping cream. Those who know me know I’m not a desert person, but having seen my wife’s reaction, I just had to try it and it was amazing. Their take on Crème Brule, made even a well prepared version taste like instant pudding; just fantastic.

So, Julie and I had a wonderful time. It was truly an amazing culinary experience. I encourage you to eat at Saffron the next time you dine in Minneapolis.